People Working to Make the World a Better Place

All over the world, individuals and organizations are working to make their countries and communities a better place to live and prosper. They are doing so by taking action against unfortunate circumstances in hopes that others will follow suit. When so much negativity is circling our globe, its stories like these that give us hope and inspire us to create our own change. There’s a lot to be learned from these inspirational stories. From people like this, we learn how to care a little more and come up with solutions to issues that affect our world and those around us.

Rope Bridges for Red Squirrels in the UK
Trees for Life is an organization in the United Kingdom working to restore the Caledonian Forest. With the help of partners and volunteers, Trees for Life is restoring the forest by planting trees and reintroducing wildlife, like the red squirrel, back into the area. The organization noticed that road traffic was a huge risk for some species. To combat this they have installed rope bridges above roads to provide a safer means of crossing for animals like the red squirrel. The rope bridges are equipped with feeders to provide an incentive for animals to use them. One wildlife officer, Becky Priestley, says that the efforts appear to be working well and hopefully the Caledonian Forest as well as the red squirrel population will continue to grow thanks to the help of the Trees for Life organization.

Good Samaritans in Istanbul
A snowstorm in Istanbul left the city covered and caused a group of stray dogs to huddle outside of a mall. Three people noticed this and came to their rescue. They did so by providing cardboard for the dogs to sleep on, blankets for them to wrap up with, and some food for them to eat. When greeted by the press, these three kind strangers would not provide theirnames as they were there to help and not to gain recognition. It’s goodsamaritans like this that are working to make this world a better place. One act of kindness just might encourage others to do the same.

One Man, One Remarkable Discovery
Dr. David Vaughan is a marine biologist in the Florida Keys. He made what he calls his “Eureka Mistake” when he broke a piece of coral into many pieces. Instead of dying like David thought it would, the coral “Grew like the dickens”. After that accident, David knew that coral restoration could be possible. He has taken his findings even further by creating a ocean simulator center where he and his team are working to predict what ocean water may be like in 100 years. By making these predictions, they can see what types of coral will stand the test of time and which ones will be best to plant in the ocean. Dr. David Vaughan says that he will not retire until he has planted one million corals. He has made this his life long mission so that generations to come will be able to see the coral reef as it was 60 years ago.

Apparel That Advocates For Animals
Once a freelance graphic designer, Jacky Wasserman is now the owner of a vegan clothing company called BEETxBEET. Jacky uses her skills in graphic design and fuses it with her passion for veganism and the environment to create t-shirts that spark conversation and educate others on animal advocacy. Her shirts are inspired from her love of streetwear fashion, come in a few different colors, and are offered in unisex and feminine styles. Her t-shirt designs all feature sayings like “It’s Not You, It’s Meat.” and “In Plants We Trust”. The goal of BEETxBEET is to provide people with fashionable clothing that inspires its consumers to spread the word about important issues concerning animals. Jacky Wasserman also uses her clothing website as a space to educate others on the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle and offers tips on how to spread the word about veganism and inspire others to do the same.

The Queen of Vegan Cheese
Miyoko Schinner grew up vegetarian in Tokyo where her passion for culinary art blossomed in the 1980’s. However, her passion for culinary art seemed to conflict her love for animals. Schinner knew she needed to become vegan to solidify her solidarity to animals but also struggled with being a “cheese-a-holic”. She wanted to find a way to satisfy her taste buds and did so by pushing beyond the struggle and decided to not only go vegan but also use her culinary skills to develop a plant based cheese that was just as tasty and decadent as its dairy counterparts. Schinner has been vegan for over thirty years now. Once the owner of a vegan restaurant, she is now the owner of a food company called Miyokos: Tomorrow’s Creamery that produces plant based butters and cheeses that are sold around the country. Schinner was not intimidated at all to face the billion dollar cheese industry and believes that people were already moving away from processed foods. When speaking to Forbes she said “We need to change the face of what is sold in the super markets. We have to become mainstream.” Miyoko Schinner says she does what she does to save animals. When she’s not in the kitchen, she is working on a farmed animal sanctuary where she saves cows, goats, sheep, and other animals. She is a cheese-maker as well as an activist for animals and uses her culinary art to inspire people to balance their love for food and their love for animals. You don’t have to pick one or the other. She hopes that her delicious cheeses can inspire others to try a vegan lifestyle that can change the world.

Sources: Artisan Vegan Life, BBC News, BEETxBEET, Forbes, Good News Shared, Huffington Post, LiveKindly, Miyokos, Peta, The Dodo, The Odyssey, Trees for Life